1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a method for reducing the muzzle noise of fire-arms, as well as a fire-arm, in particular a shotgun.
2. Description of Related Art
In many fire-arms, the bullet, for example a small-shot charge, achieves its final velocity already before the barrel's muzzle. This allows the integration of an acceleration section and a control section within the barrel. In the acceleration section, the propelling charge accelerates the bullet to its final velocity. The control section acts as a further direction stabilizer of the bullet. Thus, no velocity increase of the bullet, at least no significant increase, occurs in the control section.
Such inner ballistic relations exist with shotguns, which are used for hunting and sport shooting, in particular.
Besides special construction characteristics, i.e. the development of a choke boring, depending on the purpose for usage, such shotguns have varying barrel lengths, that is, the control section is longer or shorter, depending on the desired dispersion of the shot.
A forest hunting shotgun or a skeet shooting shotgun is specified to develop a relatively high dispersion, while a field hunting shotgun or trap shooting shotgun must be developed, so that each shot remains as tightly together as possible. Therefore, the control sections of the shotguns are correspondingly long to their preferred purpose for usage. However, the acceleration section of the barrel is the same length for both types of guns.
Because of the often disturbing noise, it is customary, especially in skeet shooting booths, to wear ear plugs. However, since people shoot in many different directions and under considerable elevation angles, it is hardly possible to take constructive precautions against booming the environment. When skeet shooting, the noise of the shot is still audible at a relatively large distance away from the shooting booth.
It has already been suggested to provide conventional and commercial guns with a silencer. Generally, a silencer of this type is constructed from an expansion casing, which is designed before the muzzle of the barrel and essentially coaxially to it. Hereby, the propellent resulting from burning the propelling charge is caught directly after leaving the muzzle. Depending on the construction of the silencer, the expansion noise will be more or less strongly reduced.
Such silencers, however, do have disadvantages. Generally, they are best suited only for single-barrel weapons. As long as the weapons are multi shots, as is often necessary for sporting purposes, a silencer can only be used in conjunction with a magazine gun or an automatic gun. Such weapons, though, are hardly used for sporting shooting. Double, especially double over-and-under shotguns, are used more frequently than magazine or automatic shotguns. Each of the two barrels can lend its own, special dispersions by a varying choke boring at the muzzle.
Silencers, which stick out over the muzzle of the weapon, have the disadvantage that because of their damage or erroneous assembly, parts of the bullet or the small-shot charge graze the mechanism of the silencer and can, thus, be misguided, whereby one can expect the destruction or damage of the silencer.
In addition, the gun's center of gravity is located at the front as a result of the silencer being positioned before the muzzle. Thus, it allows itself to swing along with a horizontally flying goal signifying a considerable disadvantage for skeet-and trap shooting.
After all, the silencer placed on top of the barrel alters the weapon's range finder position as a result of its diameter, as far as it is even intended to carry any kind of range finder. Thus, a serious sport shooting will be strongly hampered.
From the DE-PS 31 31 265, it is known that horizontal borings are designated for diverting the propellents already in the acceleration section of the barrel, that is in the case of a hand gun. When using typical ammunition, the final velocity of the bullet can hereby be strongly reduced, for example on an area under supersonic speed. This way, the noise of a bullet is avoided. Although the fire-power will also be strongly reduced.